Improvement in ventilating under-ground and subsurface railways



2 Sheets--Sheet Ll 0. VANDENBURGH. Ventilating Underground or Subsurface Railways. No.136,563.

Patented March 4,v 1873.

` 2Sheets-Shet2. D. VANDEN BU'RGH.

N. Vetilating Undeglruud or Subsurface Railways.

N0.136,563,' Patentedmarch4,1873.

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ORIGEN VANDENBURGH, or NEW Yoan, N. r.

IMPROVEMENT IN VENTILATING UNDER-GROUND AND SUBSUNFACE RAILWA'YS.

To all whom tmc/ 1j concer/n:

Beit known that I, ORIGEN VANDENBURGH, of the city, county, and State of N ew York, have invented certain Improvements in Uuder-Ground or Subsurface Railways, of which the following is a specification:

This invention has reference to under-ground or subsurface railways under the streets of cities, having locomotives for the moving agents, and a leading object ot' this invention is to effect a more thorough and perfect ventilation ot' such roads. To attain this end without objectionable upward openings into the street under which the railway runs, and yet to provide tor two or more tracks or lines rail for the accommodation of traffic in reverse directions, as well as tosecure additional safety, I construct a double-track underground or subsurface railway, with a separate and distinct tunnel or subway for each track or line of rail, each tunnel or subway being no larger in its transverse sectional area than is necessary for the free movement of the locomotive and'train, by the transit ot' which the air is expelled before them from the tunnel or subway, through suitably-located lateral passages, while fresh air is caused to enter behind them by reason of the vacuum there produced by such transit, and the necessary' changing ot the air to secure perfect ventilation is obtained by the running of the trains.

Said railway is arranged to run in line with or parallel to the streets below or under which it lies, and the lateral passages for the egress of the air in front of the trains may connect with shafts ot' suitable height, located at a proper distance from the street under whichthe railway runs, such shafts havinga tendency to an upward draft, produced in them by natural or artiliclal means.

These lateral passa-ges for the expulsion of vstation and each lateral escape-passage, said curtain opening or being removable to allow the train to pass into the station.

To provide for the expulsion of as much as practicable or desirable of the volume of air in front of the locomotive andtrain, and vits replacement by fresh air, the locomotive, tender, or any one or more of the cars ot' atrain, may be provided with a surrounding and project-4 ing disk, the edges ot' which cont'orm,or near- 1y so, to the transverse sectional form of the tunnel or subway, and which approximately tills the vacant spaces between the locomotive, tender, or car and the subway.

To provide for the regulation of the supply of fresh air, so that it may not be excessive in cases ot' extremes of temperature, the two or more separate'subways, arranged side by side, are provided with lateralv or connecting openings, furnished with shutters or registers, through which a portion of the air expelled from orentering either subway may becaused to Ypass into or be received from the adjacent subway.

In the accompanying drawing which forms a part of this specification, Figure l represents a transverse vert-ical section of a double subway under the line of a street, taken through one ofthe stations. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section of the same through one of the lateral outlet-passages provided for the expulsion of the air. Fig. 3 is a transverse verl tical section of the same through one of the lateral openings, and its shutter or ventilator provided between the two subways. Fig. 4 is a vertical longitudinal section at the line a: inl Fig. 2,' through one ofthe subways; and Fig. 5, an irregular horizontal section through both of the subways at the line y y.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawing.

A represents a street roadway, and B B its raised sidewalks. (l (l are vaults under the 'sidewalks belonging to the buildings on the street. D D represent two separate subways or tunnels, arranged one alongside the other, and under the roadwayA of the street, in va. line with the latter. Each ot' these subways has laid within it a separate track or line of rail, a a., one track or line being for the travel in one direction, and the other for travel in an opposite direction. These tunnels or subways are made of only just sufficient transverse area and ot' suitable form 'for the free transit ot' the locomotive and train. E E are drains for draining the subways. 'F is a station for the track orlines ol' rail in the subway 1). 'l`lnl stitions t'or the two lilies may be opposite cach other, or at any suitable distances apart. (l is' one ot' the lateral passages from the sul Way l') t'or the expulsion ot' the air t'roni the latter. This passage is located near the sta,- tio 1 F at apoint. which the train has to pass betorc arrival at said. station, so thatV most ot' the air in tront ot' the train and smoke and gases emitted by the locomotiveI may b`e"`expelled through said passage G by the transit.

ot' the hwomotive'and train,instead ot`thro1'igh the station F. `Said passage G may be con- A nected at aI suitable distance from the street with a shat't either having a natural or artiticial d'ral't to aid in inducing the escapeot' the air through such passage. Further provision is also made. for thus turning the expelled curl'ents through special passages 0r Ventilating escape-ducts, instead o t' through the stations, by means ot' curtains specially arranged for the purpose, and which divide each subway into a series ot' sections, as it were. Thus H is such a curtain across the subway D in the vicinity' ot thev station F, and between it and the air-escape passage G. This curtain may be ot' any suitable construction that will provide, when opened or removed, t'or the passage .of the train. It may be either slatted or solid and operate as a door, or be a single rolling sheet. Such curtain is only designed to be opened as a train approaches it. and it is closed again alter the train has passed through. It in'ay thus be opened and closed by an attend- .ant in waiting or automatically by the train. 1 is a lateral opening forming a. communication between the two subways and fitted with a register-like shutter, J, which may be opened and closed by a rod, wire, or chain from the nearest station, or from any point more orless distant from the said openiiw'. This sh uttered Vopening between the subways provides t'or the Iegulation ot' the supply of t'resh air that it may not be excessive in caseot' extremes ot' temperatm-e, the opening I, with its shutter J, admitting ot' a regulated portion ot` air expelled from or entering either subway being caused to pass into'or to'be received from the adjacent subway. l( is al locomotive, and L the disk surio hiding it and conforming to the transverse sectional shape oi' the subway and approximately tilling the space surrounding the locomotive within the subway, i'or the purpose ot' aiding in the expulsion ot' the air in t'ront ot' the train. This disk may be ot' thin wood or pt' sheet-iron, and the best place to arrange it will be somewhere between thesinokc-pipeand .the drvers cab.

lt may be arranged, however, about the tender or around oneot the cars ofthe train.

As the train moves forward in either subway the air in t'ront ot' it is pushed forward in a body and expelled from the subway at one ofthe lateral openings, while, bythe. vacuum produced behind the train, t'resh air is caused to enter the subway by the nearest opening behind, and hence the airis constantly being changed by the running ot' the train.

4 Among the other advantages which result from the provision ot a separate and distinct subway for each track are greater economy of construction and the obtaining ota higher elevation ot rail in aI subway ot given height; likewise greater safety than when both tracks are in one subway.

W hat is here claimed, and desired to `besecured by Letters Patent, is

l. The combination, with the lateral ventilating ducts or passages (l and stations in a double-track under-ground railway, having a separate subway foreach track, ot' curtains H, arranged in relation with the ducts and stations substantially as herein described',tbrtlie purpose set forth. t

2. The openings I between the subways, provided with shutters or registers J, essentially as and for the purpose herein described.

3. In combination with thesub 'ayot'aloco motive line or lines ot railway, the disk L, snrrounding the locomotive, tender, or car, substantially as and tor the purpose herein specitied.

Witnesses: 0. VAN DENBURGH.

HENRY T. BROWN, FRED. Harmes. 

